Grizzly Man
Posted By: Ms. Sinclair Dec. 13th, 2019
Director: Werner Herzog
Starring: Timothy Treadwell
Year: 2005
Country: United States
Weird Score: 6.5/10
It gets weird when: You realize that this is in fact not a mockumentary but an actual documentary on Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived among bears for thirteen summers in Alaska before his tragic death in 2003.
It gets weirder when: HE PUNCHES A BEAR!
I was in my fourth year at the University of Windsor when I was first introduced to what would become my favourite documentary of all time. A group of fellow students were renting out a house near Campus, that quickly formed a reputation of being the place to go for leisure and sometimes studying. We called the house “The 4-3–9” and we would gather there, sit in a circle, discuss existential things and watch movies in a special type of haze that I like to call “university fog.” One night I made my way over to the house and found everyone gathered around the television watching a documentary called Grizzly Man, directed by the acclaimed Werner Herzog.
Grizzly Man documents the thirteen summers that Timothy Treadwell spent living with wild grizzlies in the Alaskan Peninsula. Unfortunately on his thirteenth summer, Timothy and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard were killed by one of these bears. The bear is then killed by park officials leaving Timothy’s mission to protect these animals seem entirely in vain. The documentary is comprised of self recorded footage by Timothy, which plays out like his own personal reality show. It also features interviews with friends, family members and other acquaintances who interacted with Timothy during his crusade, and before his tragic demise.
At this point you may be wondering why this is on my weird blog. What could be weird about this tragic story about a man whose only purpose in life was to save the bears? What’s weird is… Timothy. As an audience member it’s hard to not laugh at the absurdity that is Timothy Treadwell. You feel as though you are watching a Christopher Guest movie and Timothy is the star. With interviews featuring a cast of very colourful characters saying quotes such as “Timothy acted like he was working with people wearing bear costumes,” it’s hard not to feel like you have entered some sort of twilight zone. Timothy seemed to even take a page out of a children’s style television show naming the bears endearing names such as Mr. Chocolate, Aunt Melissa and the ever surly, Mr. Grinch. The way Timothy interacts with these wild creatures seems completely delusional and a product of nothing other than his own narcissism as he speaks to the camera and the imaginary audience.
The documentary is a bizarre and tragic story that will leave you wondering how you feel about the entire situation. The footage is truly remarkable and you get to witness first hand the intimate moments Timothy experiences with nature. I absolutely recommend everyone see this documentary and I try to mention it to anyone I feel will appreciate the fascinating tale of Timothy Treadwell. After all, the man did survive almost thirteen summers with wild grizzly bears in Alaska. I get bent out of shape if I have to wait over five minutes for an Uber.
It will get weird if you talk about this movie at: Let it get weird! This doc deserves to be seen. Scream it from a mountain top if you have to. It’s a wild ride baby!
